The Crawley and Gatwick area are fascinating, both have seen so many
changes with the airport at Gatwick being central to this area, but has
anyone stopped to think about its ancient Roman ironworking and burial
grounds and how Crawley developed as a market town in the Weald from the
13th century onwards to what you see today--the second largest urban
area in Sussex. Crawley has always been known as trade route with good
connections both to the city of London and then down to the coast at
Brighton, so its geographical location has always been of importance.
The coming of the railways brought prosperity to Crawley and saw its
first major expansion as well as the development of Gatwick race course
and the original Gatwick airfield; the site of both has now been
swallowed by today's airport. After World War II, the town was
designated a New Town and has seen a vast increase in population and
building to become one of the most important business and employment
centers in the South East of England. Crawley has many buildings of
historical importance dating back to the 15th century, and many Grade 1
and 2 listed buildings of all ages up to the present day. Settlements
close by on the Weald that are served by Crawley also have many secrets
and stories connected to them, including numerous historical churches
and manor houses. Gatwick airport itself and some of the buildings that
surround the main terminal buildings today offer a gem of delight for
anyone interested in the history of the location, such as the origins of
the name of the Beehive Public House in the South Terminal. Drawing on
local history and records this book will bring to life the history of
this area, highlighting that there is a whole lot more to Crawley and
Gatwick than just the airport.
